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In Ubuntu 10.10, showing a file listing using ll will occasionally show files with a * appended to the name of the file. What does this star mean?

Chris Henry
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2 Answers2

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It means the file is executable and you have ll aliased to ls -F, ls --classify or ls --indicator-style=classify (among other possible options). You can use the command alias ll to see what the alias is and change it persistently by editing your ~/.bashrc file (or other file) where it's defined.

Other indicators:

  • / - directory
  • @ - symbolic links
  • | - fifos
  • = - sockets
  • > - doors

each depending on OS/filesystem support.

Dennis Williamson
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It means the file is executable.

Gerald Combs
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